Policy Eye - Highlights of week ending Friday 22 April 2016

The week summed up

There’ve been some notable reports out this week.

They include those on GCSE exam variability, Regional Schools Commissioners, the DfE accounts, the school system, the operation of the apprenticeship levy and the government’s devolution policy. There’s even, and younger readers should look away now, been a report from an Institute in Australia that suggests 40-year-olds should only work 3 days a week any more and fatigue and poor performance sets in, apparently.

But back at base, it’s been another one of those difficult weeks for the government. It started under pressure as it faced questions over the availability of primary school places for this September and it ended with the Schools Minister having to pull this year’s grammar, spelling and punctuation KSI test in what was described as ‘a clearly regrettable incident.’

In between all that, the Prime Minister was taken to task over his government’s academies policy with a chorus of commentators suggesting that things were unravelling, while the publication of the Dept’s 2014/15 accounts received what was euphemistically described as ‘an adverse opinion’ from the government’s auditor.

As Donald Rumsfeld once famously remarked, “stuff happens” and there’s been no shortage of advice for the government on how to resolve things.

The lightening rod of discontent at present is the academies policy where commentators from Lord Baker to the BBC’s Chris Cook have all offered possible modifications. One of the most thoughtful pieces this week came from Conor Ryan, a former government education adviser and current Research Director at the Sutton Trust. He put forward 3 solutions: allow local authorities to create trusts with local partners to oversee academies; consider some tactical retreats such as over parent governors; and incentivise rather than mandate the transition to academy status.

We shall no doubt hear a lot more about these and other proposals and indeed the Education Secretary adopted a more accommodating tone in her speech to the Academies Show this week. But to finish, a couple of points from some of those other reports.

First, on Regional Schools Commissioners, the government offered little perhaps that was new in its response to the Education Committee this week but did again confirm that it’s working on further clarification of RSC powers and will publish this ‘shortly.’

Second, the government’s latest update on the apprenticeship levy, which as the CBI indicated raised more questions than answers but is at least evidence of government trying to get information out.

And third, for anyone interested in the government’s devolution policy, the NAO report is a helpful read.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee which published a report following its inquiry into EU membership and UK science cautiously listing both pros and cons of the current arrangements

The National Audit Office which published a useful report on English devolution deals but raising some issues about aims, accountability, the transfer of power to mayors and the impact on some depts

The Institute of Directors (IoD) which argued in a new report that the education system needed to focus more on applying rather than constantly testing knowledge if young people were to be properly prepared for a new technological age

The Chairs of the BIS Committee and the Public Accounts Committee who exchanged sharp letters with the BIS Permanent Secretary over the dept’s proposed move from Sheffield and the lack of clear details

The think tank IPPR and market agency Burning Glass which, with support from JPMorgan, have developed a new, widely regarded jobs tool known as ‘where the work is’ which can help match employer demand with numbers of learners completing particular programmes of learning.

Schools

The DfE which issued Memoranda of Understanding with the Catholic and Church of England acknowledging that respective diocese had the final say on their schools converting to academies

The latest Survey of language teaching in England, compiled by the British Council and Education Development Trust, which found continued commitment at primary level but further concerns at secondary and post-16 stages where numbers remain low and exams are seen as a particular barrier

Education datalab which published some data on current school sixth form sizes suggesting that many are running at below the levels of numbers recommended in recent guidelines for academies

Word or phrase(s) of the week

‘Moore’s Law.’ A law developed in the 1970s by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore which states that the processing power of computers will double every 2 years. It was cited in its report on schools this week by the Institute of Directors.

Quote(s) of the week

“Important issues” - The Education Secretary acknowledges that the recent White Paper has raised quite a few of these

“In conjunction with @tes I recently sat a Maths SAT test. I got 91% apparently. I’m putting in an appeal” - Lucy Powell, Shadow Education Secretary submits the first exam appeal of the new exam season

“This is a blind spot in education policy” - UCAS Chief Executive Mary Curnock Cook highlights the issue of underachievement of boys in an article in The Times

“Like many good ideas, this one started in a pub” - Lady Margaret Hall Principal and former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger on how the College’s new Foundation scheme for disadvantaged students came about

“It’s in explorer mode, drawing the map as it goes along” - The National Audit Office reports on how the government is approaching devolution deals

“I was once told by an insurance employee that the company gets its executives to crash a car and then go through the process of making a claim. This way of undergoing customer experience could be applied to education ministers. Before taking office they could spend a month as a teacher and a month as a head, meeting all deadlines and experiencing an Ofsted inspection” - leading education commentator John Dunford with a novel suggestion

“Pupils are still tested on their ability to recall facts and apply standardized methods, two things computers do much better than humans” - The Institute of Directors seeks to drag parts of the education system into the 21st century

“You can’t teach grit. You imbibe it like mother’s milk from your surroundings and from the people going through the same grinding mill of life. And once absorbed, it never goes away” - Mirror journalist Paul Routledge on true grit… Yorkshire style.

Number(s) of the week

1.7m. The UK unemployment figure for the 3 months up to February 2016 showing a slight increase for the first time since mid-2015

10. The number of devolution deals that have been agreed so far Nearly 100. How many ‘titan’ or large-scale primary schools there are now, according to the Labour Party (up from 16 in 2010)

Over 40%. The number of current school sixth forms with student numbers below the current recommended threshold of 200, according to research from education datalab

75%. The number of state schools that offer Spanish at KS4 according to the latest Survey of Language Trends

28%. The number of young people in a recent survey by the youth organization Fixers, who said they felt ‘emotionally’ safe when in school corridors and common rooms

What to look out for next week

Education Questions in Parliament (Monday)

Public Accounts Committee Inquiry into Cities and Local Growth (Monday)

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